Yorkshire Win Origin With Ease

Yorkshire claimed victory in The Origin Game at Odsal on Wednesday night with a comprehensive 56-6 defeat of Lancashire, with London's Chris Thorman doing his Great Britain chances no harm with a fine display.
Thorman, 22, was only called into the White Rose squad on Sunday when captain Danny Orr was ruled out with a rib injury, but he scored a record-equalling 20 points with a try and eight goals and was a deserved Roy Powell Medal winner following a lively showing.

The Gateshead-born half back led the way as Yorkshire took a 30-0 interval lead before sealing the ten-try rout to lift the Rose Bowl Trophy for the first time since the resurrection of the Origin concept in 2001.

"I had a feeling our tactics were right and it was a massive effort from one to 17," said delighted Yorkshire coach Graham Steadman. "There was a good feeling in the camp and it was nice and relaxed.

"They put us under a lot of pressure in the first 15 minutes but the defending was brilliant. They were odds on to beat us but these things happen and the victory has been based on our defensive effort.

"We played simple tactical football in wet weather conditions."

Lancashire lost Super League's Man of Steel Paul Sculthorpe to a back and hamstring problem on the day of the game, while Steve Prescott suffered a dislocated kneecap, but their coach Paul Cullen still felt that they had the players to win the game.

"It was sharp and powerful lesson but one which will hopefully prove very valuable," he said .

"I thought we were a little short in players who wanted to go forward and we didn't control the ruck in offence and defence. Yorkshire operated a sound go-forward and executed well."

Match Review :

Yorkshire 56
Lancashire 6
Yorkshire claimed victory in The Origin Game at Odsal on Wednesday night with a comprehensive 56-6 defeat of Lancashire, with London's Chris Thorman doing his Great Britain chances no harm with a fine display.
Thorman, 22, was only called into the White Rose squad on Sunday when captain Danny Orr was ruled out with a rib injury, but he scored a record-equalling 20 points with a try and eight goals and was a deserved Roy Powell Medal winner following a lively showing.

The Gateshead-born half back led the way as Yorkshire took a 30-0 interval lead before sealing the ten-try rout to lift the Rose Bowl Trophy for the first time since the resurrection of the Origin concept in 2001.

It was Lancashire who had the early pressure, after Richard Hrone's kick-off sailed out dead on the full, but drops from Paul Wellens and Andy Farrell let Yorkshire off.

The Red Rose county had maintained the possession, but saw Yorkshire hit the front on six minutes when Keith Senior intercepted a cut-out pass from his Leeds team-mate Kevin Sinfield and raced 80 yards to the posts.

Thorman converted, and the London Broncos half back was stopped by Wellens after breaking through soon afterwards.

Mike Forshaw made a break for Lancashire at the other end, but Yorkshire extended their lead on 22 minutes, and again in breakaway fashion.

It was another Rhino, winger Mark Calderwood, who showed his liking for a quick tap restart to race past Wellens and the length of the pitch.

And Yorkshire added a third try two minutes later, David Hodgson being tracked down by Brian Carney after a break up the left before the ball was switched for Thorman to grubber through and collect himself for the score.

He added both goals for an 18-0 lead, and his break from a set-piece scrum move inside the Yorkshire half, sent away by skipper Ryan Hudson, set up the position for another score on the half hour.

Richard Horne sent Senior bursting through a gap, and Hodgson supported to take his pass and stroll in.

It seemed all too easy for the home side when they added a fifth try, with Hodgson, Senior and Matt Diskin making good yards and Leon Pryce being pulled down short before Horne dived in from dummy half, Thorman adding yet another goal.

Farrell saw a Keiron Cunningham pass squirm from his grasp as Lancashire looked to hit back before the break, while they had a lucky escape in the final minute of the half when Hudson lost the ball over the line in his opposing captain's tackle.

Lancashire did manage to get on the scoresheet two minutes after the restart, with Sean O'Loughlin - who started at loose forward following the late withdrawal of Paul Sculthorpe - supporting Paul Deacon's half-break to score, Farrell converting.

But Yorkshire soon restored order, with Hudson breaking through from a scrum and finding Wakefield centre Gareth Ellis - who joined his skipper in having a solid Origin debut - inside him to stroll in.

Matt Diskin then added their seventh try when he went in from dummy half on 50 minutes, and a wonderful flowing move saw Yorkshire sweep back downfield two minutes later.

Calderwood was stopped just short but the ball was moved right to allow Leon Pryce to touch down and become the final member of the Tykes' starting backline to score.

Thorman and Ellis tackled Paul Johnson into touch, while the exciting stand off saw the base of a post deny him a second try following another clever grubber.

The London star had surely done enough by now to almost guarantee a spot in the Ashes Series train-on squad, which will be named on Friday, but he was one of four men who epitomised Yorkshire's display to trap Martin Aspinwall in-goal with ten minutes remaining.

Wellens lost the ball over the line - in a Calderwood tackle - from Danny Sculthorpe's offload late on, summing up a dismal night for Lancashire.

But for the hosts, and many of their young stars, it was a chance to impress David Waite which they took with both hands, with Senior's second try, after he hacked on a loose ball to touch down, brought up the half century.

And Pryce completed his double a minute later to equal Yorkshire's highest score in Roses clashes, also allowing Thorman to equal Vic Yorke's individual points in a game record with the final conversion.